Polaris Group Announces Treatment of First Patient in Phase 1 Study of ADI‑PEG 20 Plus Cytarabine in Older Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

On January 20, 2017 Polaris Group reported that the first patient has been dosed in its phase 1 trial of ADI‑PEG 20 in combination with low-dose cytarabine for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older patients (Press release, Polaris Pharmaceuticals, JAN 20, 2017, View Source [SID1234526287]). In addition to a global phase 2/3 study in malignant plural mesothelioma featuring ADI‑PEG 20 in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin, Polaris Group is currently conducting multiple phase 1 clinical trials, including ADI‑PEG 20 in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin in non-small cell lung carcinoma, glioblastoma, and uveal melanoma, in combination with gemcitabine and paclitaxel in pancreatic cancer and in combination with FOLFOX in hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer.

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"We hope that the addition of ADI‑PEG 20, which has a different mechanism of action than cytarabine, will result in both safety and added efficacy", said John Bomalaski, M.D., Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs at Polaris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

About ADI‑PEG 20

ADI‑PEG 20 is a biologic being developed by Polaris Group to treat cancers carrying a major metabolic defect that renders them unable to internally synthesize arginine. Because arginine is essential for protein synthesis and survival of cells, these cancer cells become dependent upon the external supply of arginine to survive and grow. ADI‑PEG 20 is designed to deplete the external supply of arginine, causing arginine-dependent cancer cells to die while leaving the patient’s normal cells unharmed. Multiple cancers have been reported to have a high degree of arginine-dependency and can potentially be treated with ADI‑PEG 20.